SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Shield AI is seeking a Director of Avionics Mechanical Engineering to lead the mechanical, thermal, and EWIS (Electrical Wiring Interconnect Systems) engineering organization for the X-BAT flight and ground avionics platform. This is a leadership role focused on building and scaling a multi-team organization while maintaining technical authority over complex electro-mechanical hardware design.
Key Responsibilities:
- Own the technical vision, strategy, and roadmap for mechanical, thermal, and EWIS engineering across X-BAT avionics systems
- Build and scale a multi-team organization: hire and develop managers and technical leads, define organizational structure, and plan headcount to support near- and long-term program goals
- Establish and enforce engineering standards, design review practices, and processes for thermal, mechanical, and harness design of flight-critical avionics
- Serve as the final technical authority on mechanical and thermal architecture tradeoffs; escalate risk to program leadership with clear recommendations
- Partner with electrical engineering, RF, PCB design, reliability, structures, supply chain, and manufacturing leaders to drive full-scope product delivery
- Own organizational planning inputs including resourcing, schedule commitments, supplier and contract manufacturer strategy, and make-vs-buy decisions
- Build a culture of extreme ownership, technical rigor, and accountability
- Note: This is not an individual contributor design role. You will leverage earlier hands-on design experience to establish standards and guide the organization, not perform detailed design work yourself.
About Shield AI:
Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company developing intelligent systems to protect service members and civilians. Products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. The company operates globally with offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
Requirements:
- B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering
- 15+ years of experience in mechanical design around electronics and electrical systems, including significant early-career hands-on design of enclosures, thermal solutions, and harness integration
- 5+ years of people leadership, including managing managers or leading multiple engineering teams
- Proven record of building and scaling engineering teams through rapid growth
- Record of delivering complex avionics or electro-mechanical hardware from concept through production
- Deep technical fluency in avionics packaging, FEA, thermal analysis, and fatigue and lifecycle testing
- Experience setting engineering strategy, standards, and processes across an organization
- Experience managing relationships with fabrication shops, contract manufacturers, and key suppliers
- Ability to operate in a fast-paced, agile environment with shifting priorities
- Demonstrated record of working hard, being trustworthy, holding yourself to high standards, and being kind to others
- Ability to obtain a Secret security clearance
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience leading hardware teams on aircraft, spacecraft, launch vehicles, or defense platforms
- Background in high-rate hardware production (satellites, EV power electronics, autonomous vehicles)
- Experience with DO-160, MIL-STD-810, or similar environmental qualification standards
- Advanced degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or equivalent Engineering
